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AN ORDINANCE relating to council rules, amending Ordinance 11683, Section 3, as amended, and K.C.C. 1.24.025, Ordinance 11683, Section 4, as amended, and K.C.C. 1.24.035, Ordinance 11683, Section 9, as amended, and K.C.C. 1.24.085 and Ordinance 11683, Section 24, as amended, and K.C.C. 1.24.235, and declaring an emergency.
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BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Finding: The council finds that because it is reorganizing its committees effective today, including eliminating some committees and establishing new committees, this ordinance must be effective immediately to ensure that the regular meeting times of the council and its committees are enacted and effective contemporaneously with the reorganization of the council.
SECTION 2. Ordinance 11683, Section 3, as amended, and K.C.C. 1.24.025 are each hereby amended to read as follows:
A. There shall be two vice-chairs: the vice-chair of policy ((and administration)) and the vice-chair of ((council relations)) administration and finance. For the purposes of this chapter, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, "vice-chair" means the vice-chair of policy ((and administration)) and, in the absence of the vice-chair of policy ((and administration)), "vice-chair" means the vice-chair of ((council relations)) administration and finance.
B. The vice-chair of policy ((and administration)) shall exercise the duties, powers and prerogatives of the council chair in the event of the chair's absence.
C. If the chair and the vice-chair of policy ((and administration)) are both absent at a meeting of the council, the vice-chair of ((council relations)) administration and finance shall preside as acting chair.
D. If, after recommendation by the employment and administration committee, the chair is the subject of a motion that proposes to censure a councilmember for violating the council's antiharassment policy, the vice-chair of policy ((and administration)) shall introduce the motion.
SECTION 3. Ordinance 11683, Section 4, as amended, and K.C.C. 1.24.035 are each hereby amended to read as follows:
A.1.a. The time of regular meetings of the council is ((one-thirty p.m.)) 11:00 a.m. on Monday of each week, or Tuesday if Monday is a state or county holiday or is a legislative branch furlough day due to a county emergency budget crisis, unless otherwise ordered by the chair or a majority of the council.
b. Each Wednesday from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. shall be reserved for special committee meetings as needed. In order to allow each member sufficient time to review legislation and to meet with constituents, staff and officials of other jurisdictions, no special committee meeting may be called for any other time without the prior written consent of the council chair. If a special meeting for more than one committee is called for the same time and location, the meeting for which the agenda was first filed with the council clerk shall have precedence for use of the meeting location.
2.a. All regular meetings of the King County council and the council's committees, except for the employment and administration committee, shall be held in the council chambers on the tenth floor of the King County Courthouse in Seattle, Washington. All regular meetings of the employment and administration committee shall be held in the southwest conference room on the twelfth floor of the King County Courthouse in Seattle, Washington.
b. Whenever, due to an emergency, as defined in K.C.C. 12.52.010, it is imprudent, inexpedient or impossible to conduct the affairs of the council at the regular or usual place or places, the council may meet at any place within or without the territorial limits of the county on the call of the chair or any two members of the council. After an emergency relocation, the affairs of the council shall be lawfully conducted at the emergency location for the duration of the emergency.
B. The times for regular committee meetings are as follows, unless the council is meeting at that time because the preceding Monday was a state or county holiday:
1. Committee of the whole: ((Monday of each week at 9:30 a.m., or Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. if Monday is a state or county holiday)) Wednesday of each week at 9:30 a.m.;
2. ((Capital budget committee: the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 9:30 a.m. )) Budget and fiscal management committee: the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 1:30 p.m.;
3. Employment and administration committee: the first and third ((Tuesdays)) Mondays of each month at ((2:00 p.m.)) 9:30 a.m.;
4. ((General government and labor relations committee: the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 1:30 p.m.;
5. Growth management and natural resources committee: the first, second and third Tuesdays of each month at 9:30 a.m.;
6. Law, justice and human services committee: the first and third Thursdays of each month at 9:30 a.m.;
7. Operating budget, fiscal management and select issues committee: the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 9:30 a.m.;
8. Transportation committee: the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 1:30 p.m.)) Government accountability and oversight committee: the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 9:30 a, m.;
5. Law, justice, health and human services committee: the second and fourth, and fifth if one occurs, Tuesdays of each month at 1:30 p.m.;
6. Physical environment committee: the second and fourth, and fifth if one occurs, Tuesdays of each month at 9:30 a.m.;
((9.)) 7. Regional policy committee: the second Wednesday of each month at 3:00 p.m.;
((10.)) 8. Regional transit committee: the third Wednesday of each month at 3:00 p.m.; and
((11.)) 9. Regional water quality committee: the first Wednesday of each month at 3:00 p.m.((; and
12. Utilities and parks committee; the fourth and fifth Tuesday, if one occurs, of each month at 9:30 a.m.))
C. Council and committee meetings must be held in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act of 1971, chapter 42.30 RCW.
D. A meeting may be continued, in accordance with chapter 42.30 RCW, to another date and does not conclude until adjourned in accordance with these rules.
E.1. An executive session may be held during a council or committee meeting if one of the specific grounds under chapter 42.30 RCW for an executive session exists.
2. Before convening in executive session, the chair of the council or committee shall publicly announce the purpose for excluding the public from the meeting place and the time when the executive session will be concluded. The executive session may be extended to a stated later time by announcement of the chair.
3. Only members of the council or committee, special invitees and those employees or staff members the council or committee determines to be necessary are allowed to remain in the room. Persons attending an executive session shall maintain the confidentiality of the proceedings.
SECTION 4. Ordinance 11683, Section 9, as amended, and K.C.C. 1.24.085 are each hereby amended to read as follows:
A. Upon receipt of proposed legislation from the executive, the sheriff, the assessor, the presiding judge, the prosecuting attorney, the director of elections or a councilmember, the clerk of the council shall assign a proposed number to the legislation. The clerk may make formatting and nonsubstantive revisions in form and style to proposed legislation before first reading and shall indicate on the revised legislation that the legislation is revised by the clerk and the date of the revision.
B. Upon signature of at least one member of the council and filing with the clerk of the council, or upon receipt by the council of a proposed ordinance submitted as an institutional initiative under Section 230.50.10 of the King County Charter, the proposed legislation is introduced and must be placed on the agenda for first reading and referral. Legislation may be introduced with the title only, but the text of the legislation must be filed with the clerk by first reading. The chair of the council shall refer both the title and the subsequently filed text of the legislation to committee if the legislation was introduced with the title only. If the text of the legislation is not timely filed, the legislation is to be removed from the agenda and is not to be referred to committee.
C. A member may add his or her name to sponsorship of legislation at any time before passage of the legislation by informing the clerk of the council in writing. The first member listed on the first introduction slip filed for legislation may not remove his or her name from sponsorship of the legislation. However, any other sponsor of legislation may remove his or her own name from sponsorship of the legislation by informing the clerk of the council in writing.
D. First reading of legislation shall consist of either:
1. Printing the number and title of the proposed legislation on the published agenda; or
2. Adding the proposed legislation to the agenda under Rule 5, K.C.C. 1.24.045.B.2. or 3. and including this information in the council's minutes.
E. After the first reading, proposed legislation must be referred to an appropriate committee or committees by the chair of the council, except for motions confirming executive reappointments to boards or commissions, which may be referred directly to a council consent agenda. Proposed legislation referred to more than one committee must be considered consecutively by the committees in the order set forth on the marked published agenda or as specified by the chair during the meeting and reflected in the council's minutes.
F. Upon being reported out of committee with a recommendation signed by a majority of the committee, proposed legislation must be placed upon an agenda for appropriate action, after consideration of public hearing notice requirements, one week after the Monday after the committee meeting, unless the committee chair decides and states on the record at the committee meeting that the item be placed on the next council agenda. The clerk of the council may make formatting and nonsubstantive revisions in form to proposed legislation after the legislation is reported out of the committee and before the legislation is placed on the agenda for second reading and shall indicate on the revised legislation that the legislation is revised by the clerk and the date of the revision.
SECTION 5. Ordinance 11683, Section 24, as amended, and K.C.C. 1.24.235 are each hereby amended to read as follows:
A. The verbatim public record required by Section 220.40 of the King County Charter must be kept by means of electronic recording of matters occurring at the open sessions of public meetings of the county council. The proceedings of all council and committee meetings must be taken by means of electronic recording. The electronic recordings of council meetings must be retained in the office of the clerk of the council for two years, after which the recordings must be transferred to the county archivist, who shall permanently retain the recordings. The electronic recordings of committee meetings must be retained in the office of the clerk of the council for two years, after which the recordings must be transferred to the county archivist, who shall determine whether the recordings should be retained permanently.
B. The clerk of the council or of the committee shall produce minutes, in the form of proceedings, of a meeting according to state law. The clerk of the council or of the committee may post to the internet draft minutes of a meeting of a council or committee meeting before approval by the council or committee. Any posted draft minutes must include a notation that the minutes are in draft form.
SECTION 6. This county council finds as a fact and declares that an emergency
exists and that this ordinance is necessary for the support of county government and its existing public institutions.